Is Guayusa the Next Big Thing in Energy Drinks?

Runa seeks to profit from U.S. demand for healthier beverages.

Foto: Bloomberg

It’s 5:30 a.m., and a group of people—mostly Americans, including a journalist, a photographer, and a videographer—has gathered on the banks of Ecuador’s Achi Yaku River to reenact an ancient purification ritual. In the predawn darkness, a shaman stirs a large metal pot on top of a fire and then ladles the contents into the hollowed-out gourd each participant clutches. The steaming liquid is a caffeine-packed infusion made with leaves from the Amazonian plant guayusa.

The group’s purpose is as much commercial as spiritual. Cameras are rolling, capturing footage that may later feature in marketing videos for Runa, a small Brooklyn-based beverage company that sells tea and energy drinks. The eight-year-old business is backed by actors Channing Tatum, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Olivia Wilde, along with beverage industry veterans such as Vita Coco co-founder Mike Kirban and Neil Kimberley, who logged time at Snapple and Schweppes. Runa expects to reach $10 million in sales this year, up from $6 million in 2015.

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